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Michael Lerner, MD

Assistant Professor of Surgery (Otolaryngology)
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Additional Titles

Director of Voice Center at Greenwich Hospital, Otolaryngology Surgery

Director of Residency Research, Otolaryngology Surgery

Contact Info

Otolaryngology Surgery

330 Cedar Street, PO Box 208041

New Haven, CT 06520-8041

United States

About

Titles

Assistant Professor of Surgery (Otolaryngology)

Director of Voice Center at Greenwich Hospital, Otolaryngology Surgery; Director of Residency Research, Otolaryngology Surgery

Biography

Dr. Lerner specializes in the medical and surgical treatment of laryngeal disease. He is the Director of the Voice Center at Greenwich Hospital. His clinical practice focuses on the diagnosis and management of vocal cord (or fold) disease related to professional and performing voice use, as well as neurologic voice disorders, such as vocal fold paralysis, vocal paresis, spasmodic dysphonia, and vocal tremor. He also specializes in the use of botulinum toxin (commonly in the form of Botox) for the treatment of a variety of head and neck disorders, including spasmodic dysphonia (laryngeal dystonia), temporomandibular disorder, chronic migraine, hypersecretory disorders, and retrograde cricopharyngeus dysfunction (R-CPD)

Dr. Lerner is passionate about achieving the best possible results for his patients. He utilizes a multidisciplinary approach together with highly-trained speech language pathologists and employs the latest minimally invasive surgical techniques.

He graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Brandeis University and Alpha Omega Alpha from Tufts University School of Medicine. He completed his residency training in Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at Yale-New Haven Hospital and went on to complete a fellowship in laryngology & neurolaryngology at The New York Center for Voice & Swallowing Disorders. He served as faculty at The Albert Einstein College of Medicine for several years prior to returning to Yale.

Dr. Lerner’s research interests include laryngeal neurophysiology, disorders of laryngeal irritability, neuromodulation, and retrograde cricopharyngeus dysfunction (R-CPD).

Appointments

Other Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

Laryngology Fellowship
Mount Sinai West / Weill Cornell (2016)
Residency
Yale-New Haven Hospital (2015)
MD
Tufts University School of Medicine (2010)
BA
Brandeis University (2006)

Research

Overview

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

Botulinum Toxins; Botulinum Toxins, Type A; Granuloma, Laryngeal; Laryngeal Diseases; Laryngeal Edema; Laryngeal Neoplasms; Laryngeal Nerve Injuries; Laryngitis; Laryngocele; Medicine in the Arts; Music; Science in the Arts; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation; Vagus Nerve Diseases; Vocal Cord Dysfunction; Vocal Cord Paralysis; Voice Disorders

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Michael Lerner's published research.

Publications

Featured Publications

2024

2023

2022

Clinical Care

Overview

Michael Lerner, MD, is a Yale Medicine ear, nose, throat doctor (laryngologist) who specializes in diagnosing and treating voice and swallowing disorders.

“When people experience a voice change or if it's uncomfortable to talk—or if others simply can't hear them—it can affect their ability to function in their personal lives and at work, which can cause them to suffer emotionally and even financially—sometimes, this can lead them to withdraw socially,” says Dr. Lerner. This can be true for people who have had strokes or have conditions like Parkinson’s disease, both of which can affect verbal communication, or for those who rely on their voices for their professions such as teachers, fitness instructors, and performers.

“For professional or performing-voice users, not being at their best can have serious career implications,” he says.

In the office, he tries to reproduce the issue they're having on stage, so he can see “what's limiting them and why are they hitting that ceiling,” Dr. Lerner says. “We’re going to take a look, produce a high-resolution video using stroboscopic light,” he says. The technology uses a strobe light synchronized to each patient’s unique vocal frequency to allow the doctor and patient to see the vocal cords vibrating in what appears to be slow motion.

Then, to correct voice issues, he uses minimally invasive procedures, which can involve a gentle “green light” KTP laser or botulinum toxin injections. On-site voice or speech therapy may help overuse or misuse injuries. “I really want patients to enjoy an under-one-roof model, where they can receive comprehensive care in one place,” says Dr. Lerner.

“Voice is so deeply connected to our sense of self and personal identity,” he says. “Think of your own voice and the voices of your loved ones—a parent, a child, a spouse—and all of the emotions that can evoke. That’s why I am so passionate about restoring this most human function of voice, restoring patients’ sense of identity, and restoring their ability to be heard in this world.”

Clinical Specialties

Otolaryngology Surgery

Fact Sheets

Board Certifications

  • Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery

    Certification Organization
    AB of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
    Original Certification Date
    2016

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Contacts

Appointment Number
Clinic Fax Number
Mailing Address

Otolaryngology Surgery

330 Cedar Street, PO Box 208041

New Haven, CT 06520-8041

United States

Locations

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